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“Hi, baby,” I say, taking her hand and leaning over to kiss her forehead. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay,” she says. “It hurts, but it’s not as bad as before. I don’t think it’s anything serious. I was worried for a while, but I’m not in pain anymore, so that’s good.”
I sit on the edge of the bed and look at her leg. It’s swollen, wrapped in a bandage. Of course she’s not in pain. She’s too high to feel anything.
I wince. It’s the same knee that I hurt. I’m the one who made her vulnerable in the first place.
“What did the doctors say?” I ask.
“To calm down,” she says with a grin. “Apparently, I was freaking out on my dad, and they gave me something to help me sleep for a bit. I don’t remember much after they put me in here.”
I nod, a little relieved. “They’re going to scan your knee soon. Your dad said they’ll run some tests. We’ll have the results as soon as possible.”
“Okay,” she says, and yawns. “I’m sorry I’m so sleepy. I didn’t want to fall asleep on you.”
“Don’t be sorry, cariño,” I say, stroking her hair. “You need to rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
She smiles and her eyes slide shut. I watch her for a while, making sure she’s breathing normally.
I try to fight my own exhaustion, but I can’t. I’m emotionally drained. I kiss her cheek and whisper that I love her. She mumbles something in response before passing out.
The door opens and the security guard walks in.
I lift my arms, step back before he can say anything. “I’m leaving.”
He escorts me to the waiting room where Isabella, Alycia and Ewan are sitting. The security guard glares and waits for me to join them.
“No funny business,” he warns me and I nod.
He leaves, and I sit next to Alycia, who’s staring at the TV in the corner of the room. There’s a postgame report on. The Breakers and the Predators.
Alycia is watching with a blank expression on her face, one hand resting on her belly. We won 2–1. I wait to feel something about it, but nothing comes.
“How is she?” Isabella asks.
“She fell asleep. I don’t think she’s in much pain anymore. I don’t know much else.”
Alycia looks away from the screen and meets my eyes. “I hope you’re ready to be her rock for a while.”
“What do you mean?” I frown.
She sighs. “From the way she looked when they took her away, I’d say it’s pretty bad. This isn’t going to be easy.”
My stomach clenches. “Why would you say that?”
“Alycia’s right,” Ewan says, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. “We’ve run the club for many years, and in all that time, we’ve seen our fair share of injuries.” He glances at Isabella, who nods. “That one looked serious.”
I stand up, suddenly needing to move. “I need to get some air.”
“Valentina, wait,” Isabella calls after me.
I can’t breathe. I feel trapped in this room with them. They keep telling me things I don’t want to hear, things that scare me. I need to be away from them. I walk to the hospital’s cafeteria.
“Valentina!”
Raul and the team are there, occupying three tables. They stand up when they see me. I walk over to them and straight into Raul’s open arms. Finally, I’m safe, and I allow myself to cry.
“What’s happening?” he asks.
